Celebrate our 'most important' murals

Chicano Park Day honors the historic park's art and culture

After the San Diego-Coronado Bridge was built in 1969, Barrio Logan became splintered and many families were displaced. But for the last four decades, Chicano Park — which earlier this year was added to the National Register of Historic Places — has remained a spot where people gather to celebrate birthdays, baptisms, weddings and other events.

And the 43rd annual Chicano Park Celebration honors the place that was established by Chicano activists in 1970. The event features a day of indigenous and folkloric dancing, live music, speakers from educational fields, crafts and lots of food.

It’s also an opportunity to experience the gigantic murals, painted in vivid colors that depict Latin heroes of the 1970s: Cesar Chavez, Che Guevara, Benito Juarez and Frida Kahlo. They portray everything from the 1970s Chicano movement to the history of Barrio Logan and have been called “the largest, most important collection of outdoor murals in the country” by The San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture.